Rotary printer for conveyed articles



April zo, 196s J. F- MELLISON ROTARY PRINTER FOR CONVEYED ARTICLES Filed Aug. 8. 1962 NU ms T U mi VM WF. S E M A J United States Patent O 3,179,043 ROTARY PRINTER FOR CGNVEYED ARTICLES James F. Mellison, Tacoma, Wash., assigner to Weyer- `haeuser Company, Tacoma, Wash., a corporation of Washington Filed Aug. 8, I'1962, Ser. No. 215,554 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-35) The present invention relates to a rotary marking apparatus, and specifically relates to a high-speed rotary marking apparatus which is capable of continuously and clearly marking an object which is conveyed past it at varying high speeds.

It is desirable to mark products so that a customer or consumer will be assured that the material which he is purchasing, or the product made from such material, is of the quality and of the manufacture which he has speci-l ed. For most products a single mark will suffice. However, a single mark will not afford protection on products, such as lumber, which can be altered easily after manufacture.

It is customary to place a mark on the ends of boards. However, these marks may be removed by cutting the end from the board when cutting the board to length, or may be hidden by butting the end of the board against and adjacent board in a construction. The ultimate consumer then has no assurance that he is purchasing the product that he has ordered, or that the product is of the quality that he has specified.

It is, therefore, necessary to provide a mark that cannot be removed readily from the board and that cannot be hidden during construction. This mark must appear continuously along the entire length of the board, either on the side edge or on the rear face or on an overlapped section of the front face, and allows the article to be cut to any length and to be placed in a construction and still be identifiable. To be economical, the mark must be applied during the normal course of manufacture and during the last stages of manufacture. These requirements would be fulfilled by applying the mark during a conveying operation and after the last finishing operation.

The speed of the lumber during the conveying and finishing operations may vary from 300 feet to 900 feet a minute, and any marking instrument must, therefore, be responsive readily to these speed variations in order to avoid blurring of the mark on the board. n The mark must be clear and distinct if it is to be meaningful. v

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus that will mark lumber automatically and at varying high speeds.

. Itis also an object of this invention'to provide a rotary marking apparatus that will print evenly and distinctly, without slippage,at varying high speeds.

These and other objects of this invention will become readily apparent upon a reading of the following specifi'- cation in conjunction with the attached drawings;

FIGURE 1 is a top plan View of a preferred form of the marking apparatus. t i

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the marking apparatusY shown in FIGURE 1. l n i FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional*` view taken along lines 3,179,943 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 is rotated frictionally or driven by the passing article and which places the mark on the passing article, ink spreading roller 12 which is rotated frictionally or driven by marking roller 11 and which places an even amount of ink on the marking roller 11, and the ink supply roller 13 which is rotated frictionally or driven by ink spreading roller 12 and -which supplies ink to roller 12-depend from plate 10, and the ink reservoir 14 is mounted above plate 10.

. The reservoir 14 holds a quantity of ink 15, and supplies this ink to the ink rollers at a steady rate, and, in its preferred form, has an annular chamber 16 in which the Vink 15 is stored. The chamber 16is formed by an upper wall 17, a lower wall 18, and a pair of concentric cylindrical side walls-outer cylindrical wall 19 and inner cylindrical wall 20; The inner and outer cylindrical walls 19 and 20 are joined to the upper and lower `walls 17 and 18 in any convenient manner, and, as illustrated, the inner cylindrical wall 20 may be formed integrally with one of the upper or lower walls 17 vor 18. The outer cylindrical wall 19 is formed preferably of a transparent 0r translucent material which will allow the height of ink in the chamber 16 to be noted so that the chamber may be refilled with ink as needed.

The ink is placed into the' annular reservoir chamber 16 through the filling hole 21 in the upper wall 19 of the reservoir. The filling hole 21 has a `cap 22 which prevents dust and other foreign material from entering the reservoir chamber 16 and eventually clogging the ink distribution system of the marking apparatus. The ink exits from the annular chamber 16 through a series of radial outlet passages 23 which extend through the inner cylindrical side wall 20 and the lower wall 18, and connect the annular chamber 16 with the central passage 24 of the reservoir 14. The passages 23 extend from the juncture of the inner cylindrical side wall 20 with the lower wall 18 radially downwardly to the central passage 24, allowing the ink to flow by gravity from the annular chamber 16 into the central passage 24.

The central passage 24 of the reservoir 14 is formed by the threaded passage 25 in the upper Wall 17, the inner passage 26 formed by the inner cylindrical side wall 20, and the passage 27 in the lower wall 18. The three passages 25, 26, and 27 are aligned, and, in the preferred construction, are located centrally of the reservoir. The lower passage 27 is closed by a needle valve 28. The needle valve, which is threadably. mounted in the upper threaded'passage 25, has a handle 29 which m'ay be turned in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to lower or raise the needle valve 28 within the passage 24. This action stops or adjusts the ow of vink through the lower Y passage 27 and meters the quantity of ink being trans- 3-3 of FIGURE 1, showing the inking reservoir and the :plate 10. The three ink rollers-marking roller 11 which ported to the ink rollers. n

The inkjows from the lower passage 27 into a passage 30 which is aligned -with the passage 27. Preferably, passage 30 extends centrally of a lower threaded extension 31 on the reservoir 14. The extension 31 is attached in any manner to the lower wall 18, and may, as shown, be formed integrally with the lower wall 18. The threaded extension 31 allowsthe'reservoir 14 to be removably mounted in the threaded hole 32 of an L-shaped bracket v 33 thatis welded or otherwise fixed to plate 10. This mounting allows the reservoir 14 to be spaced above plate 10 and to belixed with respect to plate 10, and allows thecentralepassage 24 of the reservoir 14 and the outlet passage 30 to be aligned with the ink supply roller 13 and its shaft 34. j j

.From the outlet passage 30 of the reservoir extension 31, the ink ilows into the central passage 35 of the hollow `rotatable shaft 34 The ink is retained within the passages 30 and 35 at their junctureV by providing a cuppedouter end 36 onshaft 34 laridshaping `th`e outer end '37 of'the `or otherwise fixed vin mounting 'plate l0.

threaded extension 31 to conform to the shape of the cupped end 36. This shape will allow end 36 of the shaft to be spaced slightly from the end 37 of the extension so that the shaft 34 may rotate easily. Otherwise, a bearing material or a Afriction reducing` coating must 'be provided' on the ends 36 and 37.

r The shaft 34 is rotatably mounted'in a bearing assembly 33 having an outer cylindrical housing 39 which is welded The' housing 39 has inner annular grooves 40 and 4l formed in its upper and lower ends. A ball Vbearing assembly 42 ts frictionally within each ofthe annular grooves 40 and 41, and each assembly 42 is held within the grooves by a pair of opposed segmental plates '43 which are fastened to the ends of 'housing 39.' Screws, such'as screws 44, may be used iforfastening these plates. The segmental plates 43 are preferably arcuate, having an outer edge that con-l forms to the shape of the outer edge of housing 39 and an'inner edge that conforms to theshape of the inner edge of the outer fixed ring 45 of ballbearing assembly'42,-so that the' plate extends only over the housing 39 andthe outer fixed rin`g'45. Y In addition to the `outer fixed ringj45, eachv of the ball bearing assemblies 42 has an inner rotatable ring-t6. The adjoining faces of the outer fixed ring 45 andthe inner rotatable ring 46V are spaced from each other, and have aligned curved grooves which form a race 47 for the ball bearings 4S. The inner rotatable ring 46 of the ball bearing assemblies 42 may, therefore,'rotate easily withrespect to the'bearing housing 39 and the mountingzplate 10.

The'inner rotatable rings 46 frictionally hold the hollowjsh'aft 34, allowing it and its associated ink supply roll-er iptoV rotate easily Withrespect to mounting plate' itl. The ink'supply roller lf3-is mounted frictionally on kthe lower end ofthe hollow shaft 34 andis held in position on the shaft'by akey 49 which is mounted in a keyway t) in the shaft 34 and a keyway 51 in ink supply roller 13.

The outward force created by the rotation of the ink supply-roller 13 and the hollow shaft 34'causes the ink in the centralV passage 35 of shaft 34 toflow `outwardly through the radial passages 52 inthe. shaft 34 at the lower end of passage 35. The ink flows from the radial'passages '52A into a gro'ove'd annular reservoi'r`53 on the inner periphery 54 of the ink supply roller `13 adjacent the shaft34. The rotation of ink supply roller 13 causes the ink to flow tothe outer edgeof 'reservoir 53'a'nd to-form v `an even pool in the outer portion of reservoirr573. This grooved reservoir 53,-receivesink from the top, or inner peripheral surface, ofthe pool of ink inthe 'reservoir 53,

minimizing the tendency of the ink to ow through only the passages '53 opposite the passage 52in shaft34.

The ink Aentering the inner reservoir-57 from the radial passages 55 liowsalongthe bottom surface SS'of the reservoir 157 and tends to spread -across the-entire surface,

again `'evening the lio'w of ink 'through the ink supply rollerl3. 1 i I From reservoir 57, the inkl ilowsf into an outer gprooved reservoirfgformedin the inner faee of the outercylindrical wall6tlof ink supply roller 13, Preferably, the.

outer -cy-lindricalwall 60-is concentric with the'inner cy- `lindrica-l Wall 56. vThe outer annular reservoir 59 is Y shaped similarly'to the innerannular reservoir S3 and `performs in the same manner. Inkagainforms inapocl on the outer surface of the annular reservoir ,59, and ink from the top, or inner peripheral surface, of the pool flows outwardly through a number of radial passages 61 in the outenwall '60. The-radial passages 61, which are located above the outeredge of annular reservoir 59, conneet the annular reservoir 59 with the inking felt 62 which is mounted on the outer peripheral face 63 of the ink supply roller 13.

With many types of ink and under many speed conditions, it is unnecessary to have such a complete reservoir system and a series of radial tubes extending between the Yinner peripheral face 54 of the ink supply roller 13 and the outer peripheral face 63 of the ink supply roller 13, or a passageway formed by a pair of plates mounted internally of the ink supply roller 13 is adequate. rIhis latter system Works exceptionally well when the ink is introduced to the inking felt 62 under a slight pressure. In any system used the flow of ink to the inking felt 62, a bearing or washer felt, is regulated so that the entire felt is filled withink by the wicking action of the felt, but the felt is not oversaturated since this condition would cause` ink to be thrown from the revolving roller i3.

The inkV felt 62 is held onthe outer peripheral face 63 of the ink supply roller f3 and is aligned with the upper and lower faces of the ink supply roller13 by upper and lower plates 64 and 65, mountedupon the upper and lower faces of the -ink supply roller 13; The outer periphery of each of the plates64 and 65 is spaced slightly inwardly of the outer periphery ofthe inking felt62 so that these plates do not come in Contact with ink spreading roller 12 as the inking felt 62 transfers the ink to the outer surface of the ink spreading roller 12.

The outer surface of the ink spreading roller 12 and the outer surface lof the marking roller 1l. are of rubber or some other material of a type normally found in printing wheels. This material is impervious to the solvents used inthe ink and its choice, therefore, will depend in part upon the ink used and the solvent used forthat ink.

Both the ink spreading roller l2 and the marking roller il. have upwardly extending shafts-shaft 66 on ink transfer roller 12 and shaft 67 on the marking roller M that extend through bea-ring assemblies which are similar in construction to the bearing assembly 33 described above. The bearing assembly 68 of marking roller 11 is xedly mounted inplate itl, and the'bearing assembly 69 of ink transfer roller 12 istresiliently mounted on plate 1t) by means of a slidably mounted or movable plate 76.

The movable plate 76 is mounted over an aperture 7l in plate lo through which bearing assembly 69 and shaft 66 extend. rlhe path of travel of plate 7? is xed by a number of elongatedguide Slots 72 in the plate and-by a number'of bolts 73 which extend through apertures in plate :16 and through the guide slots 72'. The'ink spreadingrollerlZ dependingfrom plate 7o is biased inwardly againstthe ink supply roller 13 and the marking roller 1i by a tension spring 74 that extends between a pin 75 fixed to plate 70 yand a pin 76 mounted on plate 10. Oneof the mounting pins 75 or 76 is adjustable so that the tension on spring 74 may be adjusted, varying the pressure between the'rollers as variations the ink consistency and in operating conditions require.

As illustrated, the mounting pin '76 on plate'10 may be adjustably'positioned with respectto plate 1t). The adjustabilty is provided by an elongate ythreaded shaft'77 extendingat right-angles to the pin 76 and Vextending through a fixed brafcket78' on the mounting plate 16. A pair of nuts '79 and S are mounted on lthe-shaft 77, one on each side of the bracket 78, and the clockwise-or counterclockwise rotationof these nuts moves theV pin 76 toward or-away-from'the bracket 78, adjusting the positionof the pin 76 with respect tothe plate 10 and varying the pressureon ink spreading roller 1,2. f The ink picked up by ink spreading roller l2Y from ink .supply `roller 13 4istransferred to the raised symbols '8i of a printing roll` 82 on the outer periphery of marking roller 11. lrinting roll 82, forming .the outer surface of marking roller 1,1, is vfixed both vertically and circumferentially Vwith respect-,to marking roller 11 so. that there will'vbe no `vertical or circumferential slippage between the printing rollSZand themarking roller il. One method ofr obtaining this arrangement is through the use of a peripheral groove in the outer face of marking roller 11 into which an inner peripheral tongue on printing roll 82 iits and locks.

The ink on the raised symbols 81 is transferred to the board 83 carried by the marking roller 11 by the conveyor 98, causing a continuous series of symbols to appear along the length of the board 83. The symbols on the board 83 are not blurred because the peripheral speed of the marking roller 11, which is rotated frictionally or driven by the board 83, is the same as the speed of the board. Therefore, it is necessary that the marking roller 11 be held against board 83 with enough pressure to cause it to be moved frictionally by the board without slippage and to react instantaneously to any changes in the speed of the board. This pressure is obtained by a tension spring 84 which extends between a pin 85 fiXedly mounted upon the conveyor frame 86 or on some otherV object which has a fixed reference with respect to the path of travel of the board 83, and a pin 37 which is mounted on plate 10. One of the pins is adjustable to Vary the tension on spring 84.

Again, the pin on plate 10, pin 87 is illustrated as being adjustable. Its construction and operation is identical to that of adjustable pin 76, and it has an elongate threaded shaft 88 extending at right angles to the pin 87 and extending through a fixed bracket 89 mounted on plate 1). Again, a pair of nuts 90 and 91 adjust the placement of pin 87 with respect to therbracket 89 and mounting plate 10.

The tension spring 84 rotates the mounting plate 10 and its dependent inking rollers 11, 12, and 13, inwardly around a pivot shaft 92 toward the fixed pin 87 and the board 83. The lower end of the pivot shaft 92 threadably engages a bushing 93 which is mounted in the conveyor frame 85 adjacent the pin 85 and a clockwise or a counterclockwise revolution of the shaft 92 allows it to be raised or lowered with respect to the frame 86.

This raising or lowering of the pivot shaft 92 also raises or lowers the mounting plate and its associated ink rollers because the mounting plate 10, which is rotatably mounted onto the pivot shaft 92 by a bushing or bearing 94, has a fixed longitudinal position with respect to the pivot shaft 92. This allows the marking apparatus and the symbols to be positioned with respect to the side face or the top face of the board 83 by positioning the shaft 92.

When no board 83 is present on the conveyor, the spring 84 will rotate the marking apparatus and the marking roller 11 into the path of an oncoming board. To limit this inward travel, an adjustable stop is provided. This stop comprises a bolt or machine screw 95 that is threadably mounted through the pin 85 on the conveyor frame 86 and which contacts an upright plate 96 on the mounting plate 16. This stop may be adjusted for various sizes of boards and will stop the rotation of the marking apparatus slightly inwardly of its marking position.

As may be seen, the apparatus, which is driven by the passing article, should be capable of stopping and starting quickly and of changing speeds quickly and, therefore, should be as inertialess as possible and as easily rotatable as possible. The preferred material of construction is aluminum or magnesium, and the preferred wheel diameter for peripheral speeds up to 900 feet a minute is approximately 6 inches. Smaller diameters may be used for lesser speeds, although there is a tendency for the smaller diametered rollers to throw ink at the higher speeds.

The rollers may mark the upper or lower sides of passing boards by placing the mounting plate in a vertical position instead of the horizontal position illustrated. The only change required is the placement of the ink fi reservoir 14 with its axis parallel to mounting plate 10 instead of normal to the mounting plate as shown.

Although the specific details of a preferred embodiment have been set forth above, it will be apparent that many changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will therefore be understood that what has been described herein is intended to be illustrative only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. What is claimed is:

I claim:

A marking apparatus for marking objects traveling in a path therepast comprising a pivot shaft having a fixed spaced relationship with said path of travel;

a frame pivotably mounted on said shaft, said frame having an aperture;

an ink marking roller,

a shaft for said ink marking roller, said shaft being rotatably mounted on said frame;

an ink supply roller,

a shaft for said ink supply roller, said shaft being rotatably mounted on said frame;

said marking roller and said supply roller being aligned with each other and spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of said aperture;

an ink spreading roller,

said ink spreading roller being aligned with said ink marking roller and said ink supply roller;

a shaft for said ink spreading roller, said shaft extending through said aperture and being rotatably mounted on a plate,

said plate being mounted over said aperture and being slidably mounted on said frame, said plate being slidable in a path that carries said spreading roller into tangential Contact with both said ink marking roller and said ink supply roller whereby ink may be transferred from said ink supply roller to said ink spreading roller and from said ink spreading roller to said ink marking roller,

a" first mounting member on said plate,

a second mounting member on said frame,

a spring extending between said first and second mounting members and biasing said spreading roller into tangential contact with both said marking roller and said supply roller;

a third mounting member on said frame,

a fourth mounting member having a iixed spaced relationship with said path of travel,

a spring extending between said last two mentioned mounting members and biasing said frame toward said path of travel of said object and said marking roller into said path of travel of said object;

an abutment on said frame,

a stop member having a fixed space relationship with said path of travel, said stop member being aligned with said abutment so that said marking roller will move only a fixed distance into the path of travel of said object.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,364,301 1/21 Paxton lOl-329 2,280,328 4/42 Weltmer et al 101-35 2,635,531 4/53 Bruce et al 101-35 2,761,379 9/56 Hirschey et al lOl-37 2,775,193 12/56 Mastella 101-37 2,829,589 4/58 Alessi et al 101-35 2,909,991 10/59 Farkas 101-35 WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Examiner. 

